Food for thought

Diet a vital part of preparation for worlds


DAEGU -- As Kenya asserted itself as the long distance running country at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, what may surprise most is the sheer amount of food these athletes need in order achieve these feats.

When running extreme distances, the human body consumes a massive amount of energy, which comes from the only rapidly available source, glycogen.

“It’s like a car that runs fast and far, you need a lot of gas to fuel the vehicle, of course the amount matters depending on the make of the car,” Korea’s marathon manager Yoo Jae-suk told The Korea Herald.

Korean marathon runners (from left) Kim Seong-eun, Choi Bo-ra and Chung Yoon-hee weigh an average of 45 kilograms, but consumed upwards of 5,000 calories before their event on Saturday. (Yonhap News)

Aerobic athletes focused on endurance rely on the ready availability of glycogen, which is converted from carbohydrates, rather than fat.

Fat is consumed at such a slow pace that when runners deplete their glycogen stores and begin to tap into fat for energy, runners suddenly find themselves unable to move.

So in order for long distance runners to ensure that they will have a steady supply of glycogen for the race, the athletes undergo training drastically increasing their carbohydrate intake, or “carb-loading.”

This is done by slowly increasing the amount of carbohydrates consumed in addition to their normal diet, according to the Australian Institute of Sport.

For athletes like Korea’s Kim Seong-eun, who came in 28th during the finals on the opening day of the Championships, and her teammates Lee Suk-jeong, Chung Yoon-hee and Park Jung-suk, they needed to eat some 5,000 calories before the big race.

“They definitely eat a lot of carbohydrates, but we don’t set how much they need to eat. Each individual athlete is different,” said Yoo.

The U.K. National Health Service recommends an average of 2,000 calories a day for an adult woman.

Before undertaking what seems like a bread, pasta and, in Korea’s case, rice overdose, athletes begin the month prior by focusing on consuming iron and calcium along with the a normal diet, consisting of protein and vegetables.

Some two to three weeks before the meet, runners will reduce their diet to around 80 percent of their normal amount.

Some seven days before the race, athletes add bigger loads of vitamin C to their diet, and replace their carbohydrates with protein, called the depletion phase, according to the Australian government run research facility.

“A week before the start of the games they are eating anywhere from five to six servings of protein,” said Yoo.

A day before the big race, some athletes will consume up to 5,000 calories throughout the day, consuming 60 percent of the calories purely through carbohydrates.

“If you put it generally, the runners need some 5,000 calories, but of course some eat more or less.

Marathon runners in particular need to eat well and they need to eat a lot,” said Yoo.

“They eat much more compared to other athletes.”

That is why if marathon running is aerobic, then sprinting is purely anaerobic relying on strong bursts of energy rather that long stores.

Simply said, sprinters focus more on weight management and achieving low body fat levels.

Sprinters will work hard to maintain a trim profile, eating larger amounts on training days, but reducing intake during days off.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)